Vice and Virtue
by waywardcollegedropout
Summary: Asmodiah. Lucifer and Lilith's most powerful creation. Daughter of a fallen angel and the first demon. What can happen when she's unsure which side of the apocalypse she wants to fight on? Will the Winchesters acquire a helpful ally? And what role will Castiel play in her choices? A CastielxOC story
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"It's so good to be home" Asmodiah thought as she felt the scorching hot temperature of Hell surround her body. She mused on the fact that for many demons, Hell was about as enjoyable as it was for humans, but things were different for those higher up on the food chains such as her.

She had just come back from an important mission, helping Lilith break a some of the last few seals. While the mission had been successful for the most part, she had spent too much time above and away from her duties. Plus, someone needed to report back to the king of hell and she was one of only six who were allowed in the room he had been trapped in so many millennia ago.

_That,_ she thought to herself as she descended the seemingly endless staircase to Lucifer _is exactly the story I will be reporting to him. The other details are... irrelevant in the grand scheme._

She knew Lilith wouldn't mention the real reason she was sent back. Lilith was too protective of her to do that. Still, if Lucifer found out that she had shown the slightest sign of weakness, there would be serious consequences. She had a whole level of hell to run. Lucifer would not think twice about taking it from her if he thought she felt mercy for humans.

_And that can't happen. My brothers and sisters have always been waiting to steal my spot. _Asmodiah was one of seven that were basically royal blood in Hell. Of her other four siblings she was definitely their parents' favorite. Always the most beautiful. Talented in the most twisted of ways. Lucifer had placed her in charge of the second level of Hell. An accomplishment she was proud of.

"How was your trip to earth, my dear?" Lucifer asked when she reached the bottom step, startling her out of her train of thought.

"Excellent, father. The seals are breaking fast and with little interference. It seems these so-called soldiers of the lord can't track our next moves. I'd say you'll soon be out of your cage and we'll be able to rule Earth together. These humans don't deserve it." She added the last sentence almost to herself, as if trying to remind herself to prevent any hesitation or mercy against them.

"Yes it seems so." he responded. Asmodiah arched an eyebrow; her father wasn't one for short responses. He tended to ramble for as long as one would let him. She didn't press, however. "So what will our next move be? We only have two seals left to break. Mother will have no trouble breaking another without me, but I imagine the last seal, just like the first is a bit more challenging." Her mind drifted to Lilith. She took after her mother more than her father and they were definitely closer. For Lilith being the embodiment of wrath, she was nothing but a caring mother for Asmodiah. She was Lilith's most treasured creation. The love she felt for her was almost human. The idea of that made her chuckle inwardly, thinking maybe that's why she couldn't spend too much time around humans without sympathizing a bit. It was then that she noticed her father was awfully quiet. He had turned around to face away from her as he paced slowly, as if carefully measuring what his next words would be.

Asmodiah began to get nervous. Her father did not lie. When he stayed quiet for so long it meant that he was searching for some way to answer without either lying or revealing too much. "Father, tell me what's wrong. You can trust me, I can handle this." Lucifer turned again to face her, " I know this is something that will be difficult for you. More for you than your brothers and sisters. But you're right, I have to trust you. You have a role to play in this. You will be my right hand as soon as I break free from this cage." Asmodiah gave him a puzzled look as opened her mouth as if to ask a question but Lucifer raised his palm to stop her. "Lilith... she has a role in this as well. She has always known it and accepts her fate. The final seal... it is her." Asmodiah paled, feeling a sense of dread creep up on her. She understood what he meant, but her mind seem to reject the idea as she shook her head "I don't understand. What do you mean it is her?" She shook her head again. She tried to convince herself she heard that wrong, that she interpreted it the wrong way, that obviously it was not the way it seemed.

Memories flashed behind her eyes. Her mother fixing her hair before important events, making sure she always looked stunning, mercilessly slaughtering whatever or whoever touched a hair on her daughters head, every talk they had about their destinies and the great things they would do. Lilith had never mentioned this. Would there even be a goodbye? Would there even be time to mourn before she would be expected to rule by Lucifer's side? Her mind wouldn't stop spinning.

"Child, this is fated to happen. It has been written for centuries. Now more than ever your mother will need your help. I know it's a lot to process, but you are strong enough for this. She must die at the hands of Sam Winchester. It will happen, and soon. I can feel it. It's about to happen." Asmodiah felt her heart speed up. She couldn't think straight anymore. She knew she had to save her mother, convince her not to go through with the plan, but there would also be hell to pay for disobedience. Asmodiah had seen what happened when her siblings had gotten in a bit of trouble. But rebelling against her father? It would be pure chaos.

Still, she couldn't sit idly by as her mother got herself killed. And she certainly could not help her go through with it. "Father," she sneered, feeling more courageous than she had ever been in her life "you must be out of your mind of you think I will help you in this sick plan of yours. Lilith loves you... and you only use her for your freedom! Look at what we have: all of hell to run as we please. And a family to run it with. But will your hate for humans always trump your 'love' for us? I will not let mother die. Even if the cost is you staying in your cage. Even if you find another way our of here and decide to kill me. But my mother will live."

Lucifer stayed quiet for a long time, never breaking eye contact with his daughter. Finally he sighed and shrugged, adding with an air of indifference "If that's how you choose to be, my dear, then so be it. Rebel. Fight against me. But Lilith will die and I will rise to Earth. I will destroy human kind. And when I see you... the fate that awaits will not be pretty. But you know, " he shrugged again almost rolling his eyes, "it's your choice."

Asmodiah was breathing heavy now. If she was human, she imagined this would probably be what dying felt like. Could she rebel against her father? The man who taught her most of what she knows. The man who has been leading her family since before humans developed irrigation systems. She knew if she took this step, her life would never be the same. She loved the way things were. She wished nothing had to change. She looked up at her father and he was staring her down with expectant eyes. She stepped forward on instinct, to accept the fate of a life of destruction without her mother by their side. The life they had always dreamed of, but one person short.

Recoiling at the thought, she stumbled backwards, rejecting the idea of letting her mother die. The same woman that had shown her the mercy that went against her very own nature of wrath time and time again.

"No. If my mother dies and you are freed, give me your worst punishment. It'll be what I deserve. Until that time comes, if it does, goodbye father." And just like that she was gone, rising up through the earth and looking for a vessel. A poor soul that she would convince to give over control of their body. Needing a vessel was an inconvenient side effect of being the daughter of an angel. She was always able to find at least one desperate human, however, willing to strike up a sort of deal in exchange for their body. And this time was no different. She knew she had to save her mother if it was the last thing she did.

**A/N**

**Hi guys!**

**So I'm a new author on this site. I've had this idea for a fanfic for a while now and I've actually spent a few days writing out a few chapters for this story, just to get a feel of it. I've really enjoyed writing what I have so far so I wanted to share this story with other SPN fans that may also feel Castiel deserves more love.**

**I'm hoping to keep this story generally similar to the show in reference to the events that happen and keeping characters in character. I may change things here and there, but this story is very much still in the realm of the SPN universe.**

**I'd love to hear feedback as you read the story, please don't feel shy to reach out to me about anything. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

"It's Armageddon, Cas, you're gonna need a bigger word than 'sorry'" Dean spit out through clenched teeth.

He was being held hostage in heaven's "green room" by Zachariah and Castiel. They were trying to keep him away from Sam while he was planning his last attack on Lilith; this time Sam planned to kill her. And Dean knew he had to be there to help his brother.

"Try to understand, this is long foretold. This is your—"

"Destiny?" Dean scoffed, cutting Castiel off. "Don't give me that holy crap. Destiny? God's plan? It's all a bunch of lies, you poor stupid son of a bitch." Castiel flinched at his harsh choice of words, but Dean continued, "It's just a way for you bosses to keep me and keep you in line. You know what's real? People. Families. That's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"

"What is so worth saving?" Castiel was beginning to get irritated at Dean, not understanding. He slowly stepped closer until they were face to face "I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you; I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam."

There was a long silence. Castiel averted his eyes, looking sideways to avoid Dean's intense glare, but Dean simply leaned into his line of sight to make eye contact again. "You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt, I'll even take Sam as-is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise. This is simple Cas!" The angel turned around, visibly angry at Dean, but he grabbed Castiel's shoulder and spun him back around to face him. "No more crap about being 'a good soldier'. There is a right and there is a wrong here and you know it. Look at me! You know it. You were gonna help me once, weren't you? You were gonna warn me about all this before they dragged you back to bible camp. Help me. Now. Please."

Castiel took a deep breath before he responded in a shaky voice "what would you have me do?" He was scared, though he wouldn't admit it. Sure, he had grown too attached to his charges before he had been "dragged to bible camp' as Dean had so lightly put it. But helping Dean now would be full on disobedience.

"Take me to Sam, we can stop this before it's too late."

"If I do that," he said, as fear took over him, "we will all be hunted. We'll all be killed."

"If there's anything worth dying for... this is it." Dean stated, but Castiel only shook his head. "You spineless, soulless son of a bitch. What do you care about dying, you're already dead. We're done."

"Dean—"

"We're done." Dean repeated and he heard a slight wind, letting him know the angel had left. He slowly turned around and felt his heart break as he realized he wouldn't be getting out of this room and that his brother might die while he was stuck here.

—

Asmodiah has found a vessel easily at a hospital. A young woman in about her mid-20's had just been informed that her husband was found to have no brain activity following a car crash they had been in. The woman had been driving when a truck ran a red light, ramming straight into the passenger side. She couldn't help but blame herself. She was expected to recover quickly but her husband would never wake up.

"Don't cry, dear. Things don't have to end this way."

The woman turned in her hospital bed, looking for the source of the voice.

"I'm not in your room. Not physically, at least. But I can reach you through your mind. Because you, my dear, are chosen. I can save your husband... at a slight cost."

The woman felt tears spring to her eyes and whispered "Chosen? By who? And what would I have to do to save him?"

"By an angel of course," it technically wasn't a lie, Asmodiah had convinced herself. Angel, fallen angel, just a one word difference and all the same to her and this point. "And it's simple. Say yes to me. Let me in" then, seeing the woman's hesitation continued, "We must pay the consequences to our actions. You killed him. But you can still save him. He will die and go on to paradise. Tell you what, I'll sweeten the deal. If you let me in now, you _will_ still die but you will escape your fate in hell. You will rest. Neither in heaven or hell. Just peace."

The woman began to sob but Asmodiah knew the guilt she had been playing her with would give her the desired response. After a few minutes the woman nodded. "Yes. You have my permission. Do it."

Asmodiah was quick to oblige.

As soon as she took over the vessel, she knew she had to hurry. She could feel the impending apocalypse creeping into the air and over her skin like a thick fog. She searched for her mother, trying to find the strongest link to her.

"St. Mary's convent? What the hell is she doing there?" She asked herself, trying to remember why that name sounded familiar. "Oh shit, oh shit, no. No, this can't be happening." She stood, suddenly remember the significance of that location: it was where the last seal was set to be broken. The seal that would kill her mother. She was there in an instant, finding Lilith in the same body she had been in before. Golden blonde hair, her body tall and slim, now in a long white gown. She looked beautiful.

"Mother," Asmodiah whispered, almost too scared to ask. "Tell me it's not true. Tell me you're not going through with Lucifer's ridiculous plan." Tears were threatening to spill over. Not that she was usually ever emotional, but simply an effect of human emotions. This human body was not doing her many favors at hiding that.

Lilith stepped forward, looking at her daughter tenderly. A look that was reserved only for Asmodiah. She softly tucked a stray of her daughter's black wavy hair behind her ear. "Diah, what were you thinking? Do you have any idea the trouble you could've gotten yourself into? I had to beg him to give me a chance to set you back on the right path. The only path. I must die for the apocalypse, it's what we've worked so hard for all this time. Join us now and he will forgive you."

Asmodiah closed her eyes and smiled at the sound of her mother's nickname for her, but stepped away. Her mother was going to let Sam Winchester kill her. "Mother, you know I won't allow it. Even if it costs me my life."

Lilith gave her a sad smile. "You know as well as I do that, if you try to stop this, death will be a merciful punishment next to what he'll do to you. I won't be able to protect you. And you will not succeed." Asmodiah stayed quiet and stared hard at her mother's face, trying to memorize every inch of it . She knew that whether she was successful in saving her or not, this would be the last time she would see her like this. After today, there would be an open bounty on her, open to every demon or creature on hell or earth. Lucifer would be sure to capture her.

But she was ready. The love she felt for her mother was the purest thing she had ever experienced. Something she was willing to die for. "I love you. I hope you know I love you." She said as she left the room. Her only hope now she was to stop Sam Winchester. Though she was smart enough to know that she wasn't strong enough to take him on. Thankfully, she knew just who she needed to see.

—

Dean paced around the room, searching desperately for a way out, when he heard an unfamiliar voice come from behind him.

"Woah, they've really amped up security around here lately, huh? I mean how many back roads should a girl have to take just to get to a mere human?" Dean turned around and found a woman perched on the edge of the long table placed in the middle of the room. She was attractive. Dark wavy hair that reached to her collarbone, fair skin, piercing green eyes, and a slim yet toned body. She was wearing black business-like pants that went well with her heeled boots and contrasted with her brilliant white button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to cover just past her elbows. A smirk grew on her red lips as she noticed Dean checking her out. "Hey buddy," he said, hopping off the table and sauntering over to Dean, "eyes are up here. You need to focus. My time is limited, my kind is not exactly welcome in heaven."

Dean eyed her suspiciously. "Your kind being exactly what?" He only grew more worried as she chuckled and placed a hand on his chest answering cryptically "My kind being exactly what you need to break you out of this crap hole. Isn't that what you've been trying to do?" Dean started to say something but she cut him off. "Listen, the interview can wait, now shut up and let's go!"

She reached to take his hand, but just as their skin made contact, two fingers were pressed to her forehead and the world went dark. Before Dean could react, Castiel pushed him up against the wall and covered his mouth. He got the message after a few seconds and he nodded to show understanding. He needed to stay quiet.

Castiel drew out a knife and sliced cleanly across his arm without saying a word. He dipped his other hand into the blood now spilling over his arm and started drawing an angel banishing sigil on the wall next to Dean. Only moments later Zachariah stormed in, rage vibrating off him. "Castiel! Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?" Castiel finished drawing and slammed his bloody hand in the center of the sigil. In a violent flash of white light, Zachariah vanished.

"What is that abomination doing here?" Castiel asked. Dean stammered, caught off guard at Castiel's accusatory tone. "No matter," he continued, "Zachariah won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now." Dean shot a glance to the stranger who was beginning to stir from Castiel's sleep. He had to admit, it was impressive, usually Cas could knock a person out for days.

"Where is he?" Dean asked, not taking his eyes off the mysterious woman. "I don't know," the angel admitted, "but I know who does. We have to stop him, Dean, from killing Lilith."

"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal."

"Lilith is the final seal. She dies, the end begins." Castiel stated gravely. "Which is what I've been trying to say." Both men turned again to face the direction of the new voice. Asmodiah was getting up, struggling a bit like a newborn doe. "So can we stop with the questions and explanations and just get the hell out of here? We're on a time crunch, people."

**A/N**

**And so our two lovebirds meet in this chapter! Not on the best of terms, but hey, it's a start. I hope you guys are starting to get a feel for Asmodiah's character. She's... interesting to write. Fun fact: Lots of the concepts I'm using for this story are biblical references. Can you guys figure out a few? Let me know if you find any as you read along. Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

"St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?" Dean asked, giving Chuck a puzzled look.

The curly haired man shifted nervously, "Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story. Who even is this girl?" They all turned to look at Asmodiah, who had stumbled into Chuck's house only half a second after Dean and Castiel.

"The girl," she panted "was put to sleep by a holy tax accountant and then almost abandoned and left with his feathery friends." She threw herself on the nearest couch, exhausted from having to follow Castiel on her own. He traveled faster than her.

"Well..." Castiel glanced at Dean "we're making it up as we go. She seems to mean no harm for now" he looked over his shoulder and gave her an untrusting glare, which she returned.

Chuck's computer screen flickered as a great rumbling began, accompanied by a blinding white light. "Aw, man! Not again! No!"

Asmodiah shot up from the couch, with a sigh, "It's the Archangel. We have to go. Now." She grabbed Dean's shoulder, but he looked to Castiel as if asking for confirmation. Castiel nodded

"I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off! Just stop Sam!" That was the last thing Dean heard before Asmodiah was sending them across the country to St. Mary's convent.

They arrived in an empty part of the convent. "Down here," Asmodiah murmured and spun on her heels walking down a hallway. Dean decided this stranger was his best shot at saving Sam and followed. His mind was drowning in questions he wanted to ask her. He didn't trust her one bit. Who was she? _What_ was she? What interest did she have in stopping Sam? Every supernatural being, demon or angel, heaven or hell, wanted to jump start the apocalypse. Why would she want to stop it?

"What's your name?" He finally asked, settling on a simple question. She was speeding down every hallway, leading Dean through the twists and turns of the convent. The place seemed more and more like a labyrinth by the second. After a few seconds of silence he repeated his question although he was beginning to get irritated. "Hey, what are you, suddenly mute? What's your name?"

Asmodiah stopped in her tracks, turning to face Dean so fast that he almost ran right into her, "Not important. Just focus on getting your brother out of here." She turned, continuing to all but run through the echoing hallways. "Well, that's a hell of a name!" Dean yelled out after her. He was about to continue arguing when she stopped again, facing an open doorway to the sanctuary. Dean caught a glimpse inside and saw Lilith forced back against the altar by some unseen force, his brother standing by Ruby, seeming somehow... different. Ruby smirked at Dean victoriously.

"Mother!—"

"Sam!—"

Asmodiah and Dean yelled in unison, causing Dean to throw her a bewildered look, "Mother!?" Ruby rolled her eyes. She held up a hand and the doors to the sanctuary closed with a thud.

—

Sam walked towards Lilith, the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears, gradually quickening. "I've been waiting for this... for a very long time."

"Then give me your best shot." Lilith said, trying to not be affected by the sight of her daughter, just moments go.

Sam reached out a hand, throwing his power at her. White light shined from Lilith and she cried out in pain. Sam hesitated and stopped, feeling something off about this. Something wasn't right. He felt a force of the other side of the door, trying to break it down. He saw Lilith focusing on the door, almost as if she was helping Ruby keep it shut. From the door he heard Dean calling out to him, as well as another voice begging them to stop. He turned to look at the door and the world seemed to go in slow motion for him. The slow sound of his heartbeat was all he could hear now. Dean's and Asmodiah's voice and pounding were distant and faint.

"Dean?" He looked to Ruby in confusion, looking for guidance. Her voice was even more faint even as she yelled at him. "What are you waiting for?! Now! Sam, now!"

It was Lilith's laughter that snapped him back to focus. She was still pinned to the altar but a twisted smile was painted on her face. "You turned yourself into a freak. A monster. And now you're not gonna bite? I'm sorry, but that is honestly adorable."

Sam's heartbeat quickened, feeling anger rise up in him. He faced Lilith and raised his hand towards her. His eyes turned demon-black as he concentrated his power and hurled it at her. She convulsed several times, her body glowing and flickering as Sam pushed himself to kill her. At last she went limp. _It's over,_ he thought. _It's finally over._

A thin steady stream of blood escaped through Lilith's lips. Sam stared in confusion as the blood spread on the floor into a pattern as if it were alive. "What the hell? Ruby, what's going on?"

Ruby looked nothing less than ecstatic, her mood flipping 180 degrees from what it had just been. "You did it. I mean, it was a little touch-and-go there for a while, but... you did it." Ruby admired the deliberate shape the blood was taking.

Sam was beginning to get scared. This didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it was over. "What? What - what did I do?" She looked at him with pride. "You opened the door. And now he's free at last. He's free at last!" Sam shook his head, stepping back in denial as he finally understood what was happening, the weight of the world seeming to fall on him. "No, no, no. No, he — Lilith — I stopped her. I killed her!"

She smiled in response, giddy with excitement "And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal. And you bust her open."

Sam put his hands to his head. Wrecking his brain to think of some solution, some way to stop this. Dean was still pounding at the door and Sam could tell that he'd be able to open it any moment now that Ruby was distracted.

"You don't even know how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even Alastair knew! Only Lilith! Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but, I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit — I'm —I'm awesome!"

"You bitch. You lying bitch!" Sam thrust his hands at her, trying to use his powers to kill her, but he dropped to the floor, clutching his head in pain. "Don't hurt yourself, Sammy. It's useless." Ruby offered, "You shot your payload on the boss."

"The blood... You poisoned me." Ruby kneeled in front of him gently. "No. It wasn't the blood. It was you... and your choices. I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path every time. You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, Dumbo. I know it's hard to see it now... but this is a miracle. So long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it."

"Why? W-why me?"

"Because... because it had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you. You saved us. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even imagine."

Dean and Asmodiah finally broke in and took in the scene around them. Dean drew out the knife. Ruby stood up and turned, facing Dean with that same victorious look she's given him before.

"You're too late." And then turning to look at Asmodiah, "Not even you can stop this now"

"I don't care." She growled through clenched teeth, she raised her hand and sent Ruby flying into Sam. He grabbed her and held her in place as Dean advanced and stabbed her with her own knife. She flickered with light, then crumpled to the floor, dead. Sam looked at his brother, looking like a broken shell of a human. "I'm sorry." He said, wishing there was something more to be said.

Asmodiah ripped the knife out from Ruby's stomach and pressed it to Sams throat instead, her other hand holding Dean back with her power. "What is this, two traitorous imbeciles in one day? Don't ever catch a break, do we Sammy?" Asmodiah glared at Dean, her eyes flashing white. Sam's breath caught in his throat, recognizing them as the same eyes Lilith had shown him once. She whipped her head back to face Sam completely. "You killed her. And I'm about to be tortured by Lucifer until literally the end of time. So I'm gonna kill you and then I'm gonna kill your brother and hopefully the memory of it will give me enough entertainment for the next few decades since you idiots couldn't do one simple thing!"

The room went silent for a few seconds after her outburst. Eventually Sam put his hands up as if surrendering and hesitantly started speaking. "Listen, if you want to kill me... okay, do it. Waste these last few moments killing me and then get captured and hopefully that gives you peace of mind. I don't know who you are. But you seem to know who we are. And if you do, you also have to know that we won't rest until we stop Lucifer. And we will stop him. It's all a question of whether you'd like to live or not." Her gaze lingered on his, staring deeply into his eyes, trying to decipher if he was being honest. She was so focused, she missed the bewildered look that Dean gave his brother. He had just been back stabbed by one demon, only to offer mercy to another?

Asmodiah looked back to the blood almost completing the pattern that would break open Lucifer's cage. Her time was running out. She had to make a decision quickly. "I guess you might not be completely useless alive." She tucked the blade into the waistband of her pants, smearing blood onto her previously pristine white shirt. "But I don't trust either of you for a second. I'm going wherever you are. I'll be watching you 24/7."

"Oh, that's rich," Dean scoffed "demon bitch here tries to kill us and she doesn't trust us."

"Hey, watch who you call a demon, boy. I'll have you know—"

"Um, hate to break this up, but I don't think that's normal." Sam cut off pointing at the white light beginning to glow from the completed pattern on the floor. The floor started trembling. "We have to go now, he's coming" Asmodiah grabbed both of the brothers' shoulders but found that she was unable to transport them or herself. "No rush, princess, but any second now would be great" Dean snapped at her. She stammered, shocked and frustrated and looked at both of them in despair. "I — I can't — I don't know— I —" she stuttered, and the last thing she saw was their hopeless, resigned faces before a wave of white light swallowed them whole.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean, Asmodiah, and Sam opened their eyes as they felt the light disappear and the ringing in their ears recede. They looked at each other, still in the same position as they were a moment ago; Sam and Dean held each other's sleeves and Asmodiah held still had a hand placed on each brother's shoulder. They were sitting on a plane now, no sign of them having been at the convent. No one around them seemed to have noticed anything.

"What the hell?" Dean was the first to break the silence. He looked at Sam who shrugged, "I don't know." They both turned their gaze to Asmodiah who was staring straight forward, lost in thought. She was called back to attention by the intensity of Sam and Dean's questioning looks. "I didn't do that," she simply responded, "I think... I think I just lost my juice." She mentally kicked herself, realizing she probably shouldn't have said that to the two men she just tried to kill in case they tried to use that to their advantage. She hoped they would overlook her comment in their shock. Thankfully, the pilot came on over the intercom just then.

"Folks, quick word from the flight deck. We're just passing over Ilchester, then Ellicott City, on our initial descent into Baltimore—"

"Ilchester? Weren't we just there?" Dean talked over the intercom.

"—So if you'd like to stretch your legs, now would be a good time to—"

The pilot was interrupted, by a column of light shooting into the sky. The shock wave knocked the plane off to its side, sending people across the plane, screaming. Oxygen masks dropped down. Sam and Dean put theirs on, but Asmodiah had stumbled over to the window and was staring, obviously terrified at the giant pillar of light. The high-pitched noise that they had started to hear in the sanctuary came back. Asmodiah began to feel light-headed and had to rest the weight of her body against the plane wall to prevent herself from falling. She closed her eyes, trying to get accustomed to this strange new feeling. She had never been this weak before. She wondered if this was the feeling of losing her powers. The world was going dark around her, despite the brilliant white light, still shining from the Earth. She felt two strong arms pull her back until her head slammed onto the seat she had just been in before she finally passed out.

—

When she woke up, Asmodiah could tell she was laying down on a leathery surface. Her head throbbed in pain and her throat felt bone-dry. She tried to sit up, but immediately noticed her wrists were tied behind her back, her ankles were tied together as well. Dean saw her struggle to get loose from the rear view mirror and slammed on the car's brakes as he parked at Chuck's house, sending her rolling forward in the cramped back seat. "Good morning, sunshine. Ever heard of an air mask before?" _Oh_, she thought _that must be why I felt that weak on the plane._ She realized that if she lost her powers, she would be susceptible to human weakness as well. One of those being the need for air. Dean ignored her lack of answer and continued, glad that he finally had the upper hand against her. "It's time for some answers." He pulled out a gun and placed to barrel right to her forehead. "What's your name?" She glanced over at Sam, who looked uncomfortable, but refused to say anything. "Asmodiah."

He pressed the gun closer to her head. "And exactly what the hell are you? Demon? Even worse, angel?"

"It's not that simple."

He cocked the gun now, debating whether or not to shoot her. "Then, explain." She swallowed hard, sensing his patience wearing thin. "I'm one of Lucifer and Lilith's children. I — hey, wait let me finish," she cut herself off hearing the slight sound of Dean pressing a bit of pressure on the trigger.

"I was one of the leaders in the war against heaven. The war that got Lucifer cast into his cage. Me, my siblings, the third of angels that joined Lucifer in the rebellion, all of us were cast into Hell. They became demons. My family and I became, well, prime examples of what humanity should avoid. Some of you humans know us as the seven capital vices. My family and I took charge of Hell and organized it. Gave the demons purpose. Prepared them for the apocalypse. But not even I knew every detail, Lucifer and Lilith kept things from me, I followed their orders blindly. When I found out my mother would die, I rebelled against Lucifer. I love — loved her." She corrected herself, tears stinging her eyes. "And you know the rest."

Dean kept the gun at her head, trying to appear unfazed. "A vice, huh? And which one would that make you?" She looked up at him and immediately sensed that he wasn't going to kill her. Smiling seductively, she sang "I'll let you figure that one out in time."

Dean dropped his gaze, as well as his gun, turning back to his seat to hide the blush creeping up to his face at the thoughts that smile gave him. There was a cute giggle from the background when Asmodiah realized her charm had worked on him. "Lust, in case that wasn't clear. To give you a clearer answer, though, I am technically an angel, since I once had a grace. So, a fallen angel to be precise. But my mother _was_ the first demon. So I'm also technically part demon. And after millenia in Hell, I think it's clear which part of me is stronger. Now," she managed to sit up and looked at Sam "could you be a doll and untie me. It's not as comfortable as you might think."

Sam was taken by surprise at the fact that she was addressing him and turned to Dean, asking for confirmation. Dean hesitated, eyes darting between Asmodiah and his brother. "Relax." She said, trying to diffuse the tension "I need Lucifer to be stopped more than anyone else. Besides, as you can probably tell, as of now I'm powerless. Harmless, even." She smiled attempting to appear friendly. Slowly, Dean reached for Ruby's knife which he had retrieved from a passed out Asmodiah. She turned to allow him access to the ropes. With swift movements he cut each rope, careful to not accidentally hurt her. "Yeah well, whatever you say you are, I'm still calling you a demon." Dean was trying to play tough, but though he'd never admit it out loud, he knew he was dealing with a powerful beast of Hell. The creation of both of their biggest adversaries as of yet, who was powerful enough to defy Lucifer himself. And while they were lucky enough that her powers were gone for now, she could easily wreak havoc on their lives as soon as she regained them. She was someone they needed on their side and she was seemingly willing to help them.

Asmodiah, finally freed of the ropes, stretched her limbs and felt bones and muscles popping into place before stepping out of the car to look at the house they'd arrived at. "Where are we?" She asked, not recognizing the house from the outside.

"Chuck's house. The prophet. We're hoping he might be able to help us find our angel pal Cas." Dean answered, a hint of sarcasm shining through at the mention of the angel's name.

Dean busted the door open and let Sam in first, who had been strangely too quiet until now. As he walked into the living room area, a figure jumped out from behind the couch and hit Sam on the head with a toilet plunger, causing him to stumble back, hand to his head. "Geez! Ow!" Chuck lowered the plunger, realizing who he just hit.

"Hey, Chuck." Dean popped in. Chuck looked like he had just seen a ghost at the sight of Sam. "Hey guys... so...you're okay? I mean—I mean, my—My last vision. You went, like, full-on Vader. Your body temperature was one-fifty. Your heart rate was two hundred. Your eyes were black."

"Your eyes went black?" Dean cut in.

Sam looked back at him over his shoulder. "I didn't know." Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's simple, indifferent response.

"Where's Cas?" He looked away from Sam, distracted by Asmodiah creeping slowly into the room, as if scared that if she moved too fast something would happen. _Right, she's used to an archangel popping in if she's near a prophet_, Dean reasoned to himself.

"He's dead. Or gone. The archangel smote the crap out of him. I'm sorry."

Asmodiah caught the despair and loss on Dean's face that he was poorly trying to hide. "You're sure?" She asked, "I mean, maybe he just vanished into the light or something." Sam looked between them, just now realizing Asmodiah and Chuck had previously met.

"Oh, no. He, like, exploded. Like a water balloon of chunky soup."

"Cas, you stupid bastard." Dean finally managed to say, no longer able to hide the hopelessness he felt.

"Stupid?" Sam retorted, "He was trying to help us."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Oh, crap. They're coming." Chuck stated. He crouched back into a corner again.

"Thought we'd find you here." Came a voice from the opposite side of the room.

Sam and Dean turned around to face the source of the voice. Asmodiah all but crouched into the corner with Chuck, not feeling so brave now that her powers were cut off. Zachariah was there, two other angels accompanying him.

"Playtime's over, Dean. Time to come with us."

Dean pointed at Zachariah, sneering at him. "You just keep your distance, asshat."

"You're upset."

"Yeah. A little." Dean shot back "You sons of bitches jump-started judgment day!"

Zachariah's face went from serious to a wicked smile "Maybe we let it happen. We didn't start anything. Right, Sammy?" He winked at Sam. "You had a chance to stop your brother, and you couldn't. So let's not quibble over who started what. Let's just say it was all our faults and move on. 'Cause like it or not, it's Apocalypse now. And we're back on the same team again. You want to kill the devil. We want you to kill the devil. It's...synergy."

Asmodiah breathed a small sigh of relief, seeing that she had so far gone unnoticed and might actually escape this encounter unscathed.

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Dean questioned. "Cram it with walnuts, ugly."

"You have no problem trusting Lucifer's child, I see. Not that I can blame you. Her very nature is to be quite... convincing." At those words, Asmodiah felt herself being flung through the air until she hit a wall. Zachariah pinned her there, smiling proudly, and with murderous intent. She kicked herself for speaking too soon. "This isn't a game, son. Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast—before he finds his vessel. As you know, he is an angel. Them's the rules. And when he touches down, we're talking Four Horsemen, red oceans, fiery skies, the greatest hits. You can stop him, Dean, but you need our help."

Dean glanced at Asmodiah, with an indecipherable look that petrified her. She couldn't tell if he wanted to kill her or was trying to find a way to get her out of Zachariah's grasp. "You listen to me, you two-faced douche," he started, "after what you did, I don't want jack squat from you!"

"You listen to me, boy! You think you can rebel against us? As Lucifer did?" Zachariah stopped as he noticed blood dripping from Dean's hand. "You're bleeding."

"Oh, yeah—a little insurance policy in case you dicks showed up." Dean suddenly slapped his bloody hand on an angel banishing sigil drawn behind a door.

Sam, Chuck, and Asmodiah flinched as Zachariah and the other angels vanished in a white light. "Learned that from my friend Cas, you son of a bitch."

Asmodiah dropped to the ground, escaping Zachariah's power at last. She groaned. "This sucks ass."

—

A few days later, Asmodiah mused in a dingy motel room that life with the Winchesters wasn't half as bad as she'd expected it to be. They had been helpful in getting her accustomed to being human. Fed her when she was hungry. Gave her a bed when she'd finally succumb to sleep. She hated the feeling of being useless, but she did get a sense of purpose when she helped here and there. She might have been powerless but she still knew her way around a knife and could be trusted with a gun.

That was something else that had shocked her. The Winchesters trusted her more and more each day. Just a week ago they had been basically strangers, fighting on opposite sides of the same battle. And while Sam was still quiet and careful around her — understandable, given his demon ex-girlfriend had betrayed him not too long ago— Dean and her seemed to click almost instantly after getting on the road. For the first time in her life, she felt that she kind of had someone she could call a friend. And for the first time since her mother died, she felt that she had someone she could rely on.

Her thoughts were interrupted by knocking on the door. She rolled in her bed to face the boys who were at a small table reading up on anything that could help them defeat Lucifer. She made eye contact with Dean.

"Not it! Sam!" They yelled in unison, followed by small laughter. Sam glared at both of them, but obliged, heaving himself up from his chair to answer the door. They all pulled out guns, immediately on the defense.

Sam opened the door to reveal a small, blonde, nerdy looking girl, who seemed so excited she was having trouble breathing.

"You okay, lady?" Sam asked

"Sam...is it really you?" The girl responds, stepping closer and placing a hand on Sam's chest. Sam glanced back at Dean and Asmodiah nervously. "And you're so firm."

Sam looked bewildered and seemed to be pleading with his eyes for somebody or something to save him from this situation. "Uh, do I know you?" The girl pulled back. "No. But I know you. You're Sam Winchester. And you're—" she stopped, turning to look at Dean, who stared right back at her, his gun resting on the table again. "—not what I pictured. I'm Becky." Dean scoffed. Becky pushed past Sam, into the room. She spared a look in Asmodiah's direction, showing even less interest in her than in Dean "And you aren't even in the books. But you guys... I read all about you guys. And I've even written a few—" Becky glanced down, giggling a little. "Anyway, Mr. Edlund told me where you were." Asmodiah rolled her eyes and threw herself back on the bed sullenly.

Dean stood up at Becky's words, hoping for a break from the bad news. "Chuck?" He asked. Sam closed the door behind him. Becky nodded, "He's got a message, but he's being watched. Angels. Nice change-up to the mythology, by the way. The demon stuff was getting kind of old."

"Right." Sam agreed unenthusiastically, really only wanting to hear Chuck's message. "Just, um...what's the message?"

"He had a vision. The Michael sword is on earth. The angels lost it. He says it's in a castle, on a hill made of forty-two dogs."

"Forty-two dogs?" Dean asked incredulously

"Are...you sure you got that right?" Asmodiah muttered from her place on the bed.

Becky shrugged, "It doesn't make sense, but that's what he said." Then she stepped closer to Sam and touched his chest again, "I memorized every word. For you."

Sam glanced over at Dean and then down at Becky, trying to escape the awkward situation. "Um, Becky, c—uh, can you...quit touching me?"

"No."

**A/N**

**Here's chapter four and it's a long one! So I've decided to post this story on Archive of Our Own as well, so if any of you reading this story prefer that format, you'll be able to find this story on there as well. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, after this chapter Castiel will be here literally all the time so I hope ya'll are ready!**

**Please if you have any feedback or even want to let me know what you think, feel free to send me a message or leave a review! Until next time...**


	5. Chapter 5

Becky had left a few hours ago and now the boys and Asmodiah were waiting for Bobby to arrive at their motel room. Asmodiah had never met the hunter, but Sam and Dean had assured her he was on their side and told her how he had been practically a father to them. But, after a few hours, she was growing impatient. She was still not used to waiting so long for someone's arrival. Feeling claustrophobic at the thought of staying in the hotel room the whole day, she offered to go get food for them, which Dean and Sam readily agreed to.

Asmodiah walked out of the motel room, taking her time with each step. She took deep breaths. It was relaxing to finally be able to get some time alone. The sky was a mix of deep purples and bright pinks as the sun set. Asmodiah couldn't help but marvel at the beauty around her. She did truly love this world, as did her father. She was always told it was humans who were destroying the world and destroying each other. And while she couldn't say if that was entirely untrue, she thought maybe not all were undeserving of a life this beautiful.

In less than half an hour, she arrived a nearby diner that was mostly empty. Only one employee in the front and maybe two or three customers. _Good_ she thought, _I'll be out of here quick._ She ordered a few burgers, as well as a couple pieces of pie for her and the guys. She'd involuntarily picked up Dean's eating habits, finding the greasy and sugary foods he enjoyed much tastier than Sam's healthier alternatives.

She stood from her seat and headed to the bathroom while she waited for the food to be ready. Something else she was unaccustomed to and quickly growing tired of: having you use the bathroom. She walked in and took a look at herself in the mirror. Her skin looked pale and thin, eyes lacking the brightness that had been there only days ago. The loss of her powers was weighing heavily on her. She'd been powerful since her creation. Her strength was one that exceeded that of her brothers and sisters. It almost matched that of Lucifer's. Almost. She was intimidating and had become used to the fear and respect of others. They knew she was a force to be reckoned with. Now, she looked like a shell of that. Only a fraction of who she once was. Anyone with eyes could realize that much.

The door to the bathroom slammed open with a kick from the other side. A man walked in, his face emotionless. "Um,men's room is down the—" Asmodiah started, but was interrupted, as the man raised his arm, revealing a crowbar, which he swung down at Asmodiah's temple. Her reflexes slowed, she only realized what was happening the moment before the crowbar hit.

_Shit, I'm gonna die._

—

"Are we having fun yet? You're going to say yes, Dean." Asmodiah groggily heard, waking up. She felt a cold surface beneath her back. She wasn't tied up, just too weak at the moment to do much.

"Just kill us."

She recognized Dean's voice and wondered how he had gotten there. Then, she recognized who the other voice belonged to. Zachariah.

"Kill you? Oh, no. I'm just getting started."

Asmodiah peered at Sam and Dean through half-open eyes. Dean was obviously in pain, blood coming from his mouth and Sam looked like he was struggling to breathe. She was behind Zachariah, a few angels standing next to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught someone quietly slipping into the room, seemingly out of thin air. She looked back to the angels and deduced no one other than her had noticed. She slowly pulled herself up and turned to the stranger, blinking a few times to help clear the blurriness in her vision. As he moved closer and they made eye contact, she could finally tell who it was, but the realization left her more confused. How was Castiel alive?

Almost as if reading her mind, Castiel shrugged, but motioned with his head to the other angels. Asmodiah nodded and got on her feet, getting the message.

Gathering her strength, she rushed behind the first one, grabbed him, and pulled his head back, giving Castiel enough room to cut his throat with the angel blade. Another angel came up behind Castiel to attack. Asmodiah, catching the movement, let the dead angel's body drop, and ran past Castiel, catching the second angel's arm before it swung down, and twisted it behind his back, immobilizing him. Castiel threw the angel blade to her. She caught it with her other hand and felt a strong power surge through her as she gripped the handle. She stabbed the angel in the back.

Zachariah and Dean stared, awestruck, both having missed Asmodiah and Castiel's previous silent interaction, while Sam still struggled to breathe.

"How are you..." Zachariah started.

"Alive? That's a good question. How did these three end up on that airplane? Another good question. 'Cause the angels didn't do it. I think we both know the answer, don't we?"

Asmodiah dropped the blade in surprise, causing a loud clatter on the floor, but instantly picked it up and tucked it into her waistband. Though it seemed she wasn't the only one shocked at what Castiel was insinuating.

"No. That's not possible."

"It scares you. Well, it should. Now, put these boys back together and go. I won't ask twice."

Zachariah instantly vanished. Sam inhaled like it was his first breath above water. Castiel glanced back at Asmodiah before speaking to the boys in a low voice. "I don't condone teaming up with abominations. You already have enough targets on your back, you two need to be more careful."

Dean and Asmodiah simultaneously scoffed, Asmodiah offended and Dean sarcastic.

"I don't mean just angels." Castiel continued, "Lucifer is circling his vessel. And once he takes it, those hex bags won't be enough to protect you." He thought for a moment before he put one hand on Deans's chest, the other on Sam's. They both gasped.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"An Enochian sigil. It'll hide you from every angel in creation, including Lucifer." Then turning to Asmodiah "I can't give you one. For obvious reasons" Asmodiah rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I just saved your life, feathery freak, I'd show some more respect." She walked up to him, chin high even though she looked like death, unexplained cuts and bruises all over her face and body that were beginning to hurt. "And I'm keeping your angel blade." She finished, emphasizing each word, stopping when they were face to face, only inches away from each other. Castiel looked down on her, though she wasn't much shorter. He knew who she was, which only confused him more as to how she had sustained such damage without healing herself.

Castiel snapped out of his thoughts, as if just know noticing how close they were. He placed two fingers to her forehead, as an excuse to gain some distance and cleared his throat. She flinched but stayed put under the gentle touch, feeling body recover.

There was a slight pause.

"Hey, Cas, were you really dead?" Sam asked, finally breaking his silence.

"Yes."

"Then how are you back?"

Casting one last look at Asmodiah, Castiel vanished. Dean chuckled darkly, earning a confused gaze from the other two. "I know we're screwed but... it's been a while since I saw the guy that flustered." He explained. Asmodiah snickered, high-fiving Dean before helping him and Sam up.

Nothing else was said as they left the warehouse, but Asmodiah's mind was all but silent. Zachariah had tried to capture her and the only reason she was alive to tell the tale was because Castiel had miraculously saved them. It seemed that everything had been miracles lately and she began to wonder when that luck would wear out. Plus there was the matter of Castiel's warning to Sam and Dean to stay away from her. As pathetic as it sounded to her, these two humans were all she had right now and the only thing between life and death.

But Sam and Dean seemed to not have been thinking about it too hard, or so she thought. So she'd just try to take things one day at a time.

Asmodiah and Bobby's initial meeting did not go as hoped.

Dean and Sam has stepped out for a minute and Asmodiah had agreed to watch over the man she had met yet in case anything happened. Of course, with her luck, Bobby woke up then, when Asmodiah had just let herself lean back against the armchair and closed her eyes, trying to find some relief from the stress of the past few days. She was unsuspecting when the splash of water hit her, followed by a cut on her arm. "Fuck, ouch!" She yelled, quickly standing. She reached for Castiel's blade which she had kept on her because she liked the bit of strength and speed the blade seemed to provide. At their screams, Dean and Sam burst into the room, scrambling to hold the two away from each other.

It sufficed to say, Bobby wasn't her biggest fan. Not that he was in a particularly great mood anyways after hearing the news about his legs. He now sat in a wheelchair wearing a bathrobe and ball cap, and stared out the window. Sam watched him from the doorway and Asmodiah was busy devouring Bobby's hospital food.

"I can't believe you're willingly eating hospital food. That's disgusting." Sam commented. Asmodiah shrugged. "Food is food," she reasoned before eating another forkful of the mysterious meat they had served that day.

Dean arrived behind Sam and looked at Bobby, still silent. He sighed. "It's been what, like three days now? We got to cheer him up. Maybe I'll give him a backrub." Sam only glared at him. "Well, what, then?" Dean asked, genuinely curious. "Look," Sam started, "we might have to wrap our heads around the idea that Bobby might not just bounce back this time."

Just then, Sam's phone rang. "Hello? ...Castiel?" Asmodiah's ears perked up at the mention of the angel's name. They hadn't seen him since the day she'd been taken by Zachariah and she still had questions he might've had answers to. Plus, she admitted to herself, he was fun to mess with.

"Ah, St. Martin's Hospital. Why? What are you—Cas?" He hung up.

The boys and Asmodiah walked out into the hall and saw Castiel walking towards them. "Aw he looks so cute in his trench coat." Asmodiah joked, earning a light nudge to the ribs from Sam and Dean who otherwise ignored her.

"Cell phone, Cas? Really? Since when do angels need to reach out and touch someone?" Dean questioned.

"You're hidden from angels now—all angels. I won't be able to simply—"

"Enough foreplay." Bobby cut off, first words he'd said all day. They all turned to look at him. "Get over here and lay your damn hands on." No one moved. Bobby looked over his shoulder. "Get healing. Now."

"I can't." Castiel admitted. Bobby turned in his chair to face him. "Say again?" Castiel walked up to Bobby. "I'm cut off from heaven and much of heaven's power. Certain things I can do. Certain things I can't."

"You're telling me you lost your mojo just in time to get me stuck in this trap the rest of my life?"

"I'm sorry." He offered.

"Shove it up your ass." Bobby responses before turning back to the window.

Castiel came back to Dean and Asmodiah, Sam settling in the chair next to Bobby in an attempt to comfort him.

"Hi, honey." greeted Asmodiah with a sweet smile, feeling playful despite the circumstances. Dean slapped her arm lightly, though his own chuckle was poorly stifled. Castiel ignored the joke, not finding it funny, but also not rejecting it, which gave Asmodiah a strange satisfaction. "I don't have much time. We need to talk. Your plan to kill Lucifer."

"Yeah. You want to help?" Dean asked, growing a bit hopeful. Castiel's eyebrows knit together "No. It's foolish. It can't be done."

"Oh. Thanks for the support."

"But I believe I have the solution." Castiel continued, "There is someone besides Michael strong enough to take on Lucifer. Strong enough to stop the apocalypse."

"Who's that?" Sam spoke up, his attempts at cheering up Bobby failing.

"The one who resurrected me and put you on that airplane. The one who began everything. God." Sam and Dean looked skeptical. "I'm gonna find God."

Dean closed the door behind them. Asmodiah rolled her eyes and sat back down to continue eating, no longer interested in the conversation. Castiel stared at her, confused, though Asmodiah didn't understand why.

"God?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"God." He repeated.

"Yes! He isn't in heaven. He has to be somewhere."

"Try New Mexico. I hear he's on a tortilla." Dean joked with a small smile and Asmodiah giggled.

"No, he's not on any flatbread."

Asmodiah's giggle turned into a loud laugh at Castiel's cluelessness. When she calmed down, she noticed Dean and Castiel staring at her. "Tell him he's being ridiculous, please," Dean said.

"Um. Well. I guess it's possible. He exists, or existed." She looked at Castiel, "But listen, Chuckles, even though there is a God, he is either dead—and that's the generous theory—"

"He is still out there."

"—or he's up and kicking and doesn't give a rat's ass about any of you. And he certainly doesn't give a crap about me." She added the last sentence, even though she knew she was the least of Castiel's worries.

"She's right, I mean, look around you, man. The world is in the toilet. We are literally at the end of days here, and he's off somewhere drinking booze out of a coconut. All right?"

"Enough. This is not a theological issue. It's strategic. With God's help, we can win."

"It's a pipe dream, Cas," Dean insisted. Asmodiah could tell Castiel was beginning to get worked up. "I killed two angels this week. My brothers. I'm hunted. I rebelled. And I did it, all of it, for you, and you failed. You and your brother— and especially that thing" he pointed at Asmodiah, who shuddered, remembering her failed attempts at saving Lilith, "destroyed the world and I lost everything, for nothing. So keep your opinions to yourself." Everyone stayed silent, surprised at Castiel's out-of-character outburst.

"You didn't drop in just to tear us a new hole. What is it you want?" Asmodiah snapped, still a bit insulted at being called a thing.

"I did come for something. Very rare. Very powerful. It burns hot in God's presence. It'll help me find him."

"A God EMF?" Sam asked, only half serious. Castiel nodded.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I got nothing like that." Bobby chimed in.

"I know. You don't." Castiel looked as Asmodiah, but dropped his gaze almost afraid to ask the question. She missed it, her eyes focused on the food she was now picking at, appetite lost. But Sam and Dean caught it.

"What? You can't be serious. Could this day get any weirder?" Dean asked.

"May I borrow her?" Asmodiah looked up.

"No." Dean said.

"Dean. Give her to me."

Dean was silent, trying to read if Castiel was serious, then thought it over. "You gotta ask her, she's not private property. But it's fine by me I guess."

Castiel glanced down again growing nervous. He was unsure if this was a wise decision. Asmodiah was beginning to understand what Castiel was trying to ask. Her mind raced, thinking of every possible outcome.

_What if he's lying to get me away from Sam and Dean so he can kill me? I know he doesn't like me, I wouldn't put it past him. Suddenly he needs my help? How convenient. I've never burned hot in God's presence... well, shit... I've never officially been in God's presence. What if—_

_"_I don't have my powers anymore. Will that change anything?" she blurted out. Castiel raised his eyebrows, her strange behavior beginning to make sense, but shook his head. "No. Once an abomination, always an abomination." Asmodiah's jaw dropped at the words. "Do you want my help or not?!"

"Asmodiah." Castiel said, more gently, almost pleading with her as if he hadn't just called her an abomination. "Will you help me in my search for God?" She looked to Dean, searching for an answer. Dean nodded, letting her know it was safe to go. Beyond words, she looked back at Castiel and nodded as well.

"Take care of her. Or else" Dean threatened lightly. Castiel walked over to the armchair Asmodiah sat at. "Thank you. I'll be in touch." In the blink of an eye, Castiel was gone.

Sam sighed.

"When you find God, tell him to send legs!" Bobby yelled out after them.


	6. Chapter 6

Asmodiah would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the time she spent with Castiel.

It was different from the times she shared with Sam and Dean. Every day was a new adventure. They traveled often, trying to locate God someplace on Earth, which gave Asmodiah plenty of time and space to annoy her angel companion.

By nature, they should've hated each other. Correction— they definitely despised one another. At least in the beginning of their travels. But there was something they both found interesting about their particular situation, though they'd never admit it to each other. An Angel of The Lord, who required the assistance of a literal spawn of Hell to find his father who had cast her into damnation. That had to be a first.

But it seemed that was only the beginning of many firsts. They were both highly aware of each tiny moment they were making in history, even if the recognition went unspoken. Each moment felt meaningful. Like they were inching closer to some sort of higher truth. Castiel could've sworn it meant they were closing in on God. Asmodiah knew that wasn't the case, but wasn't sure what to make of the feeling.

Having just become human, there was a lot Asmodiah didn't understand, mostly having to do with her feelings. The way her mind and body would react was so intense at times, but she'd only ever have a vague notion of why. It's not as if Castiel could help her with it since he was about equally as clueless.

Case in point: Asmodiah knew what it was to be hungry. Her stomach would rumble, she'd get cranky, and if someone pissed her off enough, she'd be tempted to take a bite out of them... though that wasn't too far from her normal self.

But, really, that was about as much as she thought hunger could affect a person. She'd never gone without food for too long, since the Winchester's - well, mostly Dean- ate like animals.

In the first few hours, her and Castiel had been extremely focused on finding God. They searched high and low in city after city. Asmodiah felt the hunger and exhaustion in her human body, but she pushed on, determined to finish the mission as quickly as possible. She figured she could ignore her hunger for a good while longer and Castiel didn't question it. As a matter of fact, he didn't look or even speak at her except for the occasional "Have you felt anything yet?" Regarding the burning feeling she was supposed to experience in the presence of which the response would always be "Nope. Sorry."

When the world began to darken dramatically and the voices of others sounded drowned out, Asmodiah finally slowed to a halt. Not sure what to make of that, she explained her symptoms to Castiel. He'd had enough experience with hungry Dean to know what was happening to her. Castiel opened his mouth but no words came out. After a few quiet seconds, he grabbed her by the arm and all but dragged her to the nearest burger joint, admitting in shame "My apologies. I forgot to feed you." then, after a pause adding, "Please don't tell Dean."

Castiel sat quietly across the table from Asmodiah, staring out the large window beside him as she ate her burger and fries. He wasn't interested in making conversation and she was too busy stuffing her mouth to say much anyways. Shuffling in her seat, she caught his attention by holding up her index finger. She hopped out of the booth and walked back towards the counter. Castiel was stunned as she walked back a few minutes later with a second serving. He stared at her, amazed that she could probably eat more than Dean. She noticed and smiled at him, trying to be friendly. Not that Asmodiah liked him very much, but in their current situation, it was in her best interest to get along with him. She might need someone to save her if she got attacked while she was still human.

"Before you ask where it all goes, remember you've been keeping me walking for a while now" she teased, nudging him on the arm playfully before sitting down. He froze at the touch, though it lasted no more than a second. "Sorry," she said as she noticed his discomfort. He relaxed and smiled, although a bit forced. "It's alright." Asmodiah smiled back at him and thought for a moment how handsome he was. At least when he was when didn't have a stick up his ass.

That was the first time Asmodiah saw Castiel's smile.

Fifteen days later, she slept in a motel room, while Castiel sat quietly a few feet away on a sofa. He had grown rather fond of watching her sleep, musing at how angelic she looked with her eyes closed, though he knew she was far from it. She did a good job at hiding it from Castiel, but he knew there was a part of her that still hated humans, still despised angels. A part of her that was still pure sin. He was well aware that at the moment they were only on the same team because her hate for Lucifer was stronger than the hate she felt for others.

Once her eyes were closed though, she looked like nothing more than just another innocent soul caught up in the mess of the apocalypse, despite Castiel's better judgement. He could almost feel bad for her.

She stirred from her sleep, tossing and turning for a bit, clearly uncomfortable. Castiel thought he heard her whispering, but at first the words were indistinguishable. After a few minutes, he could only make out a few words; Lucifer, apocalypse, angels, God... Lilith. The talking stopped at her mother's name and soon turned to quiet, repressed sobs. To say Castiel was confused would be an understatement.

_Oh_, he thought, having a light bulb moment, _she might be having a nightmare_. He was unsure what to do, but figured it was probably better to wake her up. Castiel walked up to the bed and reached down, shaking her by the shoulder a few times before her eyes opened wide. She sat upright, immediately defensive, and tried to fight off the figure in front of her. Instead, Castiel caught her wrists, stopping any attack from her.

She was breathing heavily, but calmed down as she realized she had only been dreaming. Castiel slowly lowered her hands into her lap, but as he began to pull his own away, she unknowingly clasped onto them like a lifeline. The angel sat on the bed beside her and waited until her breathing returned to normal. His lips pressed into a thin line, staring at their hands, hers intertwined in his.

Feeling somewhat sane again, she tried to figure out why the angel was being so quiet. She had been expecting at least a few questions. She followed his line of sight, registering the position they were in. Bodies close, hands still intertwined. She could smell his honey scent wafting off his skin.

She scooted back and took her hands back, realizing why he seemed so uncomfortable. "Sorry. Stupid nightmare." She explained. He nodded in response. "It's alright. Sleep." With the press of two fingers to her forehead, she fell back into her slumber, sweet dreams awaiting her. Castiel stayed sitting on the bed next to her for hours that night. He took her hand back in his once more, trying to decipher the feeling the action stirred in him while he played with her fingers.

That was the first night they held hands.

It had since then become somewhat of a guilty pleasure for Castiel to hold her hand some nights as she slept. He insisted to himself that it was only to ensure she didn't have nightmares so she'd be well rested for the following day's search.

That's the story he'd given Asmodiah when she had woken up the first time to find their hands intertwined. She didn't mind it. It kept the nightmares away.

There was a bit of truth to the version Castiel was sticking to, but it wasn't the full story. The part he still found confusing was on nights when she wouldn't have nightmares. At the end of especially tough days for Castiel, when Asmodiah would be nevertheless sleeping peacefully, he often found comfort in the simple action. He wasn't quite sure why Asmodiah brought him such peace, but he tried not to think about it too much.

Asmodiah was adapting well to life with the angel. After weeks spent together, they fell into a certain rhythm, specific times to search for God, but also times for Asmodiah to detach and to try to loosen Castiel up. He let her have it her way most of the time, which was dragging him along wherever she went. She objected to all of his initial excuses with the fact that she needed protection in case Lucifer was looking for her, until Castiel decided it was better not to argue anymore and just go with her. Though Asmodiah was no longer sure that was really the reason she wanted the angel to go with her. And Castiel wasn't certain it was still really the reason he decided to follow her either.

Truth was, he had learned to have some fun on the adventures Asmodiah would take him on. Sure, the first five or so times they'd gone to a club was a bit too much. Castiel hated the loud music and he hadn't exactly honed his people skills, so he usually sat where Asmodiah was within his line of sight and kept his eyes on her. He watched her curiously all night as she danced along to every song, finding some guy, and then stumbled to the bar to let the guy buy her drinks.

Occasionally, she'd look at him from the dance floor and wave discreetly to Castiel. On even more rare occasions, she'd motion for him to come to her. But Castiel would only give a small smile and shake his head. She'd shrug and keep dancing. He felt a faint happiness on those occasions when she remembered he was there, feeling he was important in a room with so many people she could already dance with. The feeling contrasted sharply with the sting he felt whenever she'd sneak off to a corner of the club to kiss some guy. Castiel chalked up the mysterious pain to not knowing if she was safe or not.

He didn't have a horrible time though. Seeing Asmodiah dancing was fun for him. He got to admire the way the lights bounced off her green eyes, or the way she laughed so freely every now and then, or even the silly faces she would make to try and make him smile.

The last time he had accompanied her to a club, they left earlier than usual, though Asmodiah hadn't explained why and Castiel hadn't asked. They walked home slowly, both of them wanting to take their time, but neither acknowledging it out loud. When they were close to the motel, though, Asmodiah had an idea to extend their time. "Castiel, I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere to eat?" He nodded. Asmodiah cheered to herself in victory.

They stopped at a 24-hour diner and soon Asmodiah was talking about a million different subjects, as she so often did with Castiel. She found pleasure in telling Castiel stories about the things she'd done in her long life — obviously leaving out the more dark, gruesome stories, considering she was speaking to an angel— and while he wasn't much of a talker, he listened intently to each story, fascinated. Mostly he was blown away by all the choices Asmodiah had been given to make her life what she wanted it to be. It was a choice he had never been offered, always receiving very strict orders from heaven. Almost always monitored.

"Well," Asmodiah had responded when he pointed this out "Maybe it can be a blessing that heaven has cut you off. You can choose your destiny now."

Castiel smiled sadly. "I'm sitting in a diner with the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. With a —no offense— spawn of Hell. Your existence is a sin. But us socializing? Working together? I think that crosses some universal boundaries. How do we know that what we're doing is good?"

"Silly angel," Asmodiah took a deep breath, "haven't you learned? Good or bad means nothing. The righteous path is the only one that matters. They sound similar, but once you learn the difference... things will start making sense."

He didn't understand what she was saying, though the word "righteous" felt strange coming from her. He mulled it over, trying to make sense of it, but was snapped out of his thoughts at Asmodiah's soft touch on his hand. "Let's go get some rest." she said, tugging on his hand gently. He left money to pay the bill on the table and let her lead him back to the motel, her hand still barely holding his. She held it delicately, as if she was afraid Castiel would pull away. Unsure of what to do, and Asmodiah's brain teaser still jumping around in his mind, he let her lightly lead the way.

That night was one of Castiel's favorite memories. Every now and then he'd think about her resolve and he'd try to make it make sense, though he never could..

One time, they went into the woods to look up at the stars, something he'd quite enjoyed. That night, as they lay on the grass on their backs, Asmodiah got Castiel to talk more about his life and his stories, something he rarely did. His voice had a way of calming her and she soon felt herself about to doze off. She pulled up close to him, their bodies almost touching, before she finally drifted off to sleep. He stayed still for a while, wondering if she would sleep through the whole night like this or if he would accidentally wake her if he transported her back to their motel room.

Just then she began to shift in her sleep, she turned on her side, facing Castiel and stretched an arm out. When it fell, it landed softly on his chest. It was then that he noticed how close Asmodiah was to him. Her hand on his chest only added to his agitation. He willed himself to calm down, but couldn't. Deciding he could just quickly put her back to sleep, he sent them both to the motel room.

What he didn't think of, however, was how they landed; the same position they had been in only a second ago. Asmodiah woke up, startled, to find Castiel on her bed, her body cozied up to him with her hand holding him in place. She scurried away as fast as she could, her heart beating faster and harder than any human heart should. Castiel was on his feet in an instant, far from the bed, holding his hands up. "I didn't do anything, you fell asleep like that. I just brought us here," he explained. She slowly nodded, accepting his explanation, though still startled, and cautiously climbed back into bed. With one quick touch to her temple, she was fast asleep once more. But he couldn't seem to steady the beating of his own heart.

The following night, things took a turn for the worse.

Asmodiah had agreed to stay at the motel alone for a bit, while Castiel paid a visit to Dean, who had called for him. When she got to the motel, she took a shower, washing her hair, not even bothering to dry it before throwing on her usual tank top and shorts that she used to go to sleep. She was exhausted. By the time she fell asleep, Castiel still hadn't come back.

The next few hours were full of nightmares. She ran from Lucifer in each one, but he'd always catch her right as soon as she thought she'd escaped. Or she'd finally reach the escape only to open the door and find her mother's dead body.

She woke with a jump as she felt Castiel's familiar hands grip her shoulders and sit her upright. "Nightmares?" He asked. Asmodiah simply nodded, noticing they were in the same position they had been that night that seemed so long ago when they first held hands. Faces close, their bodies almost touching. She shivered as she felt the heat radiating off him in contrast to the cold motel room. He was close enough that his smell was intoxicating and Asmodiah felt her thoughts getting jumbled up between his smell and the heat and the fear of her nightmares and how safe she felt in his arms. She placed a hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat, fast and strong. Castiel's eyebrows joined in confusion, his blue eyes stuck on Asmodiah's green ones in a trance. "What are you doing?" He studied her worried face, unable to decipher what she was thinking. His chest gave his anxiousness away under her hand, his heart beating out of rhythm.

Slower than either of them could perceive Asmodiah leaned forward, closing the small gap between them. Her lips pressed against his softly for less than a second, so quick that if Castiel had blinked he might have missed it. He only realized what had happened when he felt Asmodiah's hot breath brushing over his lips as she pulled back. He felt her body shiver under his grasp. But he was unable to move.

They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like a long time, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Them Asmodiah was alone in the motel room.

That was the first time they had kissed.

That was also the first time Asmodiah went more than a week without hearing from the angel.

**A/N**

**Easily my favorite chapter so far (and the longest!). I've rewritten this about ten times, trying to make it absolutely perfect. It's still far from perfect, but I think it does them justice.**

**I hope you all are enjoying this story! Please let me know what you think. Until next time...**


	7. Chapter 7

Dean stood in the bathroom of the motel room he was staying in alone. He dampened a washcloth in the sink and started to clean the blood off his jacket from his hunt earlier that night. He looked up at the mirror, his heart stopping at the sight of Castiel behind him. "God." He thumps on the sink with his fist. "Don't do that."

"Hello, Dean."

Dean turned around, finding Castiel is only inches from him. "Cas, we've talked about this. Personal space?" Castiel blushed slightly as he briefly remembered his mishap with Asmodiah, but Dean almost didn't see it as he stepped back, giving him more space.

"My apologies."

Dean shook his head and walked towards the bed with his jacket. "How'd you find me? I thought I was flying below the angel radar."

"You are." Castiel explained. "Bobby told me where you were. Where's Sam?" He asked, noticing there was no sign of his brother and only one bed in the motel room.

Dean put on his jacket, avoiding eye contact with the angel. "Me and Sam are taking separate vacations for a while. So." He tried to change the subject. "You find God yet? More importantly, can Asmodiah come back yet, please? It's starting to get kind of lonely."

Castiel frowned. "No, I haven't found him. That's why I'm here. I need your help with an archangel. The one who killed me. His name is Raphael." Dean chuckled and poured himself a drink from a nearby whisky bottle. "You were wasted by a teenage mutant ninja angel?" Ignoring his joke, Castiel continued, "I've heard whispers that he's walking the earth. This is a rare opportunity."

"For what? Revenge?"

"Information." Castiel clarified.

Dean pours another drink, having already chugged the first one. "So, what, you think you can find this dude and he's just gonna spill God's address?"

"Yes, because we are gonna trap him and interrogate him."

Dean paused. "Give me one good reason why I should do this."

"Because you're Michael's vessel and no angel will dare harm you." Dean rolls his eyes, "Oh, so I'm your bullet shield." He looked at Castiel in time to see the desperation evident on his face right before he masked it underneath his cool, emotionless exterior. "I need your help because you are the only one who'll help me. Please."

Dean considered this. "What about Asmodiah?" Castiel looked away, afraid to let any emotion show. "She... should stay safe for now." He lied, hiding the real reason he didn't want to ask her for help or even see her.

"Alright, fine. Let's do this."

—

Dean stood, staring at Castiel, who was sitting down on an old, dusty chair as he contemplated the holy oil in front of him. They had located Raphael's empty vessel and were hoping they would be able to summon and trap him with it. Dean, according to Castiel, would most likely not be harmed, as he was Micheal's vessel. Castiel, however, would most likely be killed.

"Well. Last night on earth. What are your plans?" Dean asked, trying to make conversation. Not looking away from the holy oil, the angel replied "I just thought I'd sit here quietly."

"Come on, anything? Booze, women?" Castiel turned to look and Dean and then turned back, uncomfortable. "You have been with women before. Right? Or an angel, at least?" Still not answering, Castiel rubbed the back of his neck. "You mean to tell me you've never been up there doing a little cloud-seeding?" Castiel sighed, thinking of Asmodiah and the way her lips had felt on his. Leaving that night had been one of the hardest things he'd had to do. It was like that simple kiss had broken a wall in his mind that had been put up for so long, he had forgotten it was ever there at all. But he knew that was part of her effect. He couldn't—no, didn't feel anything for that agent of Hell. It was simply a trick she had played on him. He had to remind himself that he was an angel of the lord. "Look," he lied, "I've never had occasion, okay?"

"Alright." Dean grabbed his jacket. "Let me tell you something. There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch. Let's go." Dean was our the door faster than Castiel could even process what he'd just said. He stared after him, then after a few seconds decided to follow him.

—

Asmodiah woke that night with a start from her usual nightmare. She took a look around her room. It was empty.

She'd been sleeping alone since Castiel left, already over a week ago. In the time she had been with him, he had never left for such a long time and she had begun to grow worried. She couldn't help but blame herself for his disappearance. For her, it hadn't been that big of a deal. A kiss. How many others had she kissed in her lifetime? She'd lost count. She didn't expect this reaction over something that wasn't much more than a peck. She chalked it up to his inexperience freaking him out. _He's probably taking an extensive shower in holy water to be rid of the filth_, she half joked to herself, a bit shocked by the slight sting she felt at the thought.

She tried to not let his absence affect her, however, and continued the search for God on her own, knowing Castiel would be able to find her when and if he wanted to. Of course, she wasn't covering ground as quickly as she would with the angel, but she was making progress at a steady pace. Though she'd admit she was bored out of her mind with no one to talk to.

And the nightmares had gotten bad again. Asmodiah wasn't sure if she was just being paranoid, having an overactive imagination, or if Lucifer really was visiting her in her dreams as a way to intimidate and play with her before actually killing her. If he wanted to find her, he easily could. For her, unlike humans, hiding wasn't an option. She could hide from demons, maybe angels, but not her own family.

This night was another one of those when the dreams were insistent. This was already the fourth time she'd woken up on the same night from her recurring nightmare.

When her heart rate finally slowed down, she sensed that the air was different in the room. A small vibration of power was radiating through like wavelengths, in a familiar way. _An angel,_ Asmodiah realized. Keeping her movements slow, she drew out the angel blade she'd taken from Castiel — and that he'd graciously let her keep— and quietly scanned the room again from the bed. Her vision adjusted to the darkness and she could spot a human figure in the corner of the room, standing still as a rock. The figure stepped forward. "Hello, Asmodiah. It was not my intention to startle you."

Asmodiah sighed in relief and threw herself back in the bed. It was just Castiel. "Oh. Hi. Welcome back." There was a long silence. She wondered if she should apologize for her actions the last time they saw each other, but decided against it. She wasn't really sorry.

He was staring at her intently, which caused her to look away, uncomfortable with his sudden reappearance and lack of explanation. He sat on the bed. "What did you do to me?" He asked seriously. "I thought you had no powers."

That caught Asmodiah's attention. She gave him a questioning look. "Excuse me, what?"

"I- I mean that... Dean took me to a... a house of transgression tonight." Asmodiah's eyes widened and a small smirk formed on her lips at the thought of Castiel in a brothel, but she said nothing. "All of these women. Objectively speaking, some were more attractive than you," Asmodiah's smile fell and jaw dropped, insulted, but he nonetheless continued, "and I truly did not want to touch a single one. Yet you kiss me. Once. And suddenly my chest feels... like something is constricting it." Asmodiah was in shock. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she could get any words out. "What does any of that have to do with my powers?" She finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Castiel shook his head in frustration. "What spell did you put on me? You may have been able to lie to Sam and Dean," faster than she could perceive, he grabbed both of her wrists, using them to lift her from the bed, and pinning them to the wall behind her. "But you can't lie to an angel of the lord. I could spot that demon trickery from a mile away. Now reverse the spell."

Asmodiah was at a loss for words. She wondered if perhaps this was another nightmare, another trick her mind was playing on her. Castiel held her in place with one hand, and grabbed the angel blade still on the bed with the other. He placed it to her throat in a silent threat.

"I'm not a demon. That's first. I'm basically human since Lucifer rose. I'm not lying to you. I've been trying to help you find God, you're with me every second of every day, you know this!"

Castiel hesitated, unsure if she was telling the truth. "How can I trust you?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't have your trust? Tough luck. You no longer have mine either, buddy. You're trying to knife me in the middle of the night because of one kiss? Get over yourself. There's no magic being worked on you." She scoffed. Castiel lowered the blade, but kept her held in place. "Take me back to Dean." She demanded, deciding she was done trying to help the angel. Castiel dropped her wrists and she rubbed them, trying to ease the pain his iron grip had caused. He nodded and walked over to a small table that had a notepad. He wrote something down and handed it to Asmodiah. "Meet Dean at this address tomorrow at midnight." She was about to insist he take her there now, but by the time she looked up from the notepad the angel was gone.

She groaned and tried to take out her anger and frustration at Castiel on the motel room pillows, punching them with all her might, but she soon grew tired and sprawled herself onto the bed. She soon fell back into a nightmare-ridden sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Asmodiah had spent all day driving to the address Castiel write down for her. "Why couldn't he just tap me on the head and send me there!" She yelled at no one in particular. She was alone in the car. The sun had gone down a while ago and it had started to storm not too long after that. Asmodiah mentally cursed at Castiel in every language she knew— and she knew a lot of them.

She finally arrived at a run down motel, making her cautious. She honestly wasn't sure if Castiel would try to kill her again. She reached for the small of her back for the hundredth time to check that the angel blade was still there, tucked into her waistband. Her nerves calmed, however, when she spotted Dean's Impala in the parking lot. When she finally reached the motel room specified, Castiel greeted her at the door before she could even knock. His face looked solemn. Asmodiah couldn't help to wonder what was wrong. But then, remembering his actions from the night before, decided to ignore him and walk right past him, straight into Dean's hug.

"Hey kid! Hear you're back in my custody." Dean welcomed her, spinning her in the hug. Asmodiah couldn't help but think that for such a long time she had helped so many demons, including her own mother, to ruin the Winchester's lives under the pretense of the apocalypse. Something that Dean was very well aware of at this point. It had caused a bit of a bumpy road when it first came up, but Dean had come around to forgive her eventually, giving a sappy speech about second chances, which Asmodiah found all too amusing. It was mind boggling to her the fact that he was the closest thing she had to family now.

She softly punched him on the arm "Who are you calling a kid, kid? I'm older than Castiel. As far as I'm concerned _you're_ under _my_ custody." she joked.

Castiel had closed the door, but hadn't moved from his spot next to it yet, seeming afraid to move. Dean caught the tension between the both of them and tried to lighten the mood. "So what's up, hanging around Cas was no fun?" He asked Asmodiah. Castiel and her made eye contact. He shook his head as if asking her not to tell Dean what happened. Turning away from him, she ignored his silent request. "Angel boy thought I was using secret powers to seduce him. Guy went haywire and tried to kill me." She explained to Dean. Dean leaned around her to look at Castiel accusingly. "You did _what_?"

The angel vanished, leaving questions unanswered, but Asmodiah waved dean off, dismissing his questions with "Don't worry, you didn't miss much." She didn't tell him about the kiss, though it made her feel like she was lying. Truth was, for Asmodiah it was a sweet memory. She couldn't remember the last kiss she'd given someone that hadn't been manipulative or deceiving. A kiss that had come just from how much she enjoyed the other person's presence. Had that ever even happened before? All she knew was she wanted to keep the memory private. His soft, honey smell that consumed her senses, the way his blue eyes shined with something she'd never seen in them before, the surprising softness of his lips. She'd never admit it, but these were memories grew to treasure.

Dean and Asmodiah stayed up a few hours after her arrival catching each other up on everything that had happened since they last saw each other. Asmodiah told him all about the places she'd visited, how her and Castiel had searched for God under every stone and had come up with a grand total of _nada_. Dean filled her in on him and Sam. How they had gone their separate ways and all the hunts he'd gone on so far. He even told her about Castiel's possible last night on Earth and how he'd taken the angel to a brothel, which sent her into a fit of laughter after hearing about the angel's cluelessness.

When Asmodiah finally laid down, she could already hear Dean's light snoring from the other bed. She, on the other hand, was afraid to go to sleep. She was afraid she'd be plagued by the nightmares that wouldn't let up. But her eyelids became gradually heavier, until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She was drifting off to sleep, toeing the line between awake and unconscious, when she felt something faintly familiar in her hand. A change so slight she almost didn't catch it. She gently squeezed the well-known hand holding hers before finally succumbing to sleep that held only sweet dreams.

—

Asmodiah didn't think she was a complicated person. Maybe there was a part of her before that had been manipulative, or untruthful, or treacherous once. But that was then. As a mortal being, she didn't feel bad for her past actions, as much as she understood she wasn't that anymore.

She had given up trying to label herself as a human or demon— she clearly wasn't either. Sure, she was powerless and she could die. But human emotions— guilt, compassion, empathy—were complex. And she was not, she decided. She did whatever benefited her. She put herself first. She survived as best as she knew how. As a mortal, she ate, she slept, she helped the people she needed to help to stay alive, Dean being one of them. Like she'd done before, she had picked a cause and served it fully. And if that made Dean a friend, then he was a friend. Castiel was... unfortunately an ally to Dean. One she personally didn't want to interact with.

Asmodiah had fallen back into a routine with Dean. Find, hunt, kill, rinse, and repeat. They ate whatever they could find, slept wherever there was room, and spent their day cracking jokes or listening to Dean's music in the Impala. Very different from the routine they'd had with Sam and worlds apart from Asmodiah's experience with Castiel. No long talks about their life or emotions. No misunderstood actions or feelings. No holding hands. No kissing. Just two people surviving. She realized after a few days with Dean that the angel had made her go soft and weak. And there was no room for that because the second she found a way to her powers back, she would be back on the battlefield, fighting Lucifer.

She hadn't seen Castiel since the night she reunited with Dean. She had thought she felt him holding her hand later that night, but he wasn't there when she woke up, so she chalked it up to her imagination running wild again. For all the tough talk she gave herself day in and day out about not needing a distraction or wanting to see Castiel at all, there were moments she wished to have him hold her hand through the night so she could sleep peacefully. She was quickly getting tired of waking up night after night in cold sweat and shaking from fear— another human disease she suffered from.

When she wasn't hunting or traveling with Dean, she spent time reading up on every book she could get her hands on that might have some information about how to get her powers back. But so far, she'd come back empty handed every time. She tried to be realistic: there weren't very many creatures like her in the world. It was likely there wasn't much, if anything written about how to get your powers back from the devil himself.

Little did she know, it wouldn't be long now before she got her wish.

**A/N**

**Two chapters in one day, though this one is a bit short. Hope you enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

Asmodiah couldn't really claim that her and Sam were very close. He was sweet, but overall a lot more reserved than his brother. And them meeting each other just as she witnessed him kill her mother and right as he was dealing with the aftermath of Ruby's betrayal, it was fair to say maybe they hadn't gotten off on the right foot.

But strangely enough, she did miss him. He balanced Dean out. It was sort of like they were each other's yin and yang. Which was, in large part, why she tried multiple times to get Dean to give Sam a call and ask if he wanted back in. Besides, they could use all the help they could get, and Sam was very book-smart. Maybe he knew something that could get her powers back.

Time after time, though, Dean stubbornly refused. So Asmodiah, eventually decided she would stop asking. Things with Dean were going great either way, and she was starting to get pretty good at hunting, even though she was powerless. She enjoyed the comfortable silence between her and the older Winchester. They understood each other without really having to speak; a perk Asmodiah was exceedingly grateful for. He didn't really ask for details of her time with Castiel, which made it all the more easy to keep certain events private. All Dean knew was that there was definitely some animosity between his demon and angel friends and he did the best he could with the information he had, trusting that he would know what he needed to know and when he needed to know it.

On one particular night, Castiel called Dean over the phone, something he'd opted to do before popping in, due to the hostility that had developed between him and Asmodiah recently.

"What? What? Did—I didn't—I didn't get that." Asmodiah heard Castiel stutter over the phone, a sound of a passing truck in the background. Dean laughed, "You know, it's kind of funny. Talking to a messenger of God on a cellphone. It's, you know, like watching a Hell's Angel ride a moped."

Castiel wasn't nearly as amused. "This isn't funny, Dean. The voice says I'm almost out of minutes."

"Okay. Where do we start?" Dean asked, following along with the angel's plan to find the colt. A gun that was rumored to be able to kill anything.

"Where are you now?"

"Kansas City. Century Hotel, room 113." Asmodiah started paying close attention to the conversation now. If the angel was dropping by, she would rather take her stuff down to the Impala and sleep in the back seat.

"I'll be there immediately." When she heard that, Asmodiah started gathering some clothes to leave, but Dean held up a hand signaling her to stop. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. No, no, come on, man. I just drove like sixteen hours straight, okay? I'm human. And there's stuff I got to do. Like eat, for example. In this case, sleep. I just need like four hours once in a while, okay? Okay, so, you can pop in tomorrow morning."

"Yes. I'll just—" Dean hung up the phone and threw it on the bed, his body following suit right after. Asmodiah had to stifle a chuckle at hearing Castiel get cut off, picturing his frustration at being stopped mid-sentence.

Dean knocked out almost instantly. The man could probably fall asleep faster than a bullet could kill him. Asmodiah, on the other hand, usually took much longer to fall asleep, the anxiety of the nightmares that haunted her were enough to keep her awake until exhaustion took over. Eventually though, she did drift off to sleep, though knowing she'd soon have to wake up and move if she wanted to avoid the asshole angel that had tried to kill her.

—

Asmodiah opened her eyes and didn't know what surprised her more— the fact that she had gotten a full night of uninterrupted sleep or the trashed motel room she was in. If she didn't know any better, she'd say Dean had been partying with every creature in Hell in there before setting the place on fire. But looking over to the other bed in the room, she saw that Dean was still asleep, sleeping on the box spring instead of the mattress which was inexplicably missing.

"Dean wake up!" She whisper-yelled, shaking him roughly. "Something is wrong." Dean groggily woke up as he realized his mistress situation. He looked around at the trashed motel room and then back at Asmodiah's concerned face. Standing up quickly, he walked towards the window and peeked out from behind the curtain. Everything as far as the eye could see was destroyed. "Yeah something wrong is an understatement." He agreed. They both got dressed and headed out of the motel to explore and find some answers.

Dean and Asmodiah split up to investigate, Asmodiah checking out the local shops and Dean to find a working car or transportation, when he was distracted by the sound of what seemed like glass smashing. As he turned a corner, trying to find the source of the sound, he saw a young girl right in the middle of an alley, sitting with a small teddy bear and facing away. Dean slowly approached her "Little girl? Little girl? Are you hurt?" She didn't respond. "You know the not-talking thing is kind of creepy, right?" Dean continued.

The girl turned around to reveal blood dripping from her mouth. She began to shriek and attacked Dean with a piece of shattered glass. She swung the shard of glass twice at him, Dean being able to avoid both swings, before he finally decided that, even though it was against his personal morals, he had to fight back against this child. Thankfully, he was able to knock her out with only one punch.

Dean looked around the alleyway for any clues of what was going on. There was graffiti on a wall that read "CROATOAN". Dean's heart sank, a simple "oh crap" escaping his lips.

Several people that seemed to be infected with the Croatoan virus came around the same corner Dean had, leaving him no other option than to start running in the opposite direction he had come from. Running into a fence at the end of the alley, he climbed over it hoping the growing group of Croatoans wouldn't know how to jump it. They tore it down instead.

Dean ran as fast as he could, nearing the only exit to the alley. Just as he did he heard "Dean, catch!" And an automatic weapon flew towards him. Asmodiah grabbed her own gun and they began firing at the group until eventually they were all dead.

Asmodiah had been able to round up a good amount of weapons. Some guns, knives, and even some small grenades in case things got ugly.

She helped Dean find a car with a bit of fuel and conveniently the keys had been left in the ignition, almost as if someone wanted them to find it. Asmodiah thought it was suspicious she had even found weapons at all.

They drove for a while, trying to find some sort of life left after the virus, but all they saw were cut off sections of cities labeled "hot zones" or utter destruction. There was no cell service or radio. They were both starting to become frustrated with their lack of answers.

"'Croatoan pandemic reaches Australia.'"

A voice came from the back seat. They turned to find Zachariah there and Asmodiah groaned and sunk in her seat. He was reading from a newspaper. Dean rolled his eyes. "I thought I smelled your stink on this Back to the Futurecrap."

Zachariah ignored him. "'President Palin defends bombing of Houston.' Certainly a buyer's market in real estate. Let's see what's happening in sports. That's right—no more sports. Congress revoked the right to group assembly. What's left of Congress, that is. Hardly a quorum, if you ask me."

"Okay, well, good, great. You have had your jollies. Now send us back, you son of a bitch."

Zachariah laughed, "Oh, you'll get back—all in good time. We want you to marinate a bit. Three days. Three days to see where this course of action takes you both." Dean would've killed Zachariah there and then if he could. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that your choices have consequences. This is what happens to the world and your friends if you continue to say "no" to Michael. Have a little look-see. As a matter of fact I'll give you a big hint. Camp Chitaqua." He vanished.

—

It was nightfall by the time they had located and arrived to the outside of Camp Chitaqua, which was protected by a fence that encircled the area. They stopped the car a good distance from the camp and decided to investigate closer on foot, since it would be quieter. Upon getting closer to the camp, Dean spotted his treasured Impala, smashed, windows shattered, and incredibly rusted. He all but ran over to it, leaving Asmodiah's line of sight, though she was more focused on trying to find a way past the guards.

She heard a thump coming from where Dean had gone to, followed by a long silence. She was beginning to get worried, but then Dean walked back up to her, looking kind of pissed. He looked oddly different.

"Wow, did seeing your car—" she choked on her words as Dean grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. "You have some nerve showing your face around here you sick son of a bitch." Asmodiah tried to shake her head, feet thrashing as she ran out of air. Her hands tried to pry Dean's off her throat, but to no avail. Until the world blacked out around her.


End file.
